Depth counter



June 27, 1933. l L F OHMER, JR 1,915,798

DEPTH COUNTER Filed Sept. 17, 1928 [HMIHIHHIHIIHIIIHH llmll /N VE N TOR. JOHN F. UHMEH Jr.

his 4 TTORNEY Patented June 27, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE JOHN F. DECKER, JR., F LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNGR TO'OBMEB. FAIRE REGISTER GOMPAN'Y, OF DAYTON,4 OHIO DEPTH COUNTER Application led September 17, 1928. Sei-19.11%. 306,322.

well it is desirable to know how far the drilling has-progressed and in case the drill is not at the bottom to know justfwhere the drill is. I have provided a counter to indicate in feet or other measurement the total o depth of the well and another counter to collar supports an arm indicate the position of the drill.

The invention may be applied to many other uses and I, therefore, do not deslreto limit myself to the use in connection with wells.

In the drawingt .i Fig. 1 is a plan view showing the casing removed so as to expose the interior mechanism, and u Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

The oil drill cable 1 is conventional and engages a drum 2 secured to a shaft 8 by means of a pin 4. The units counter 5 of the counter A which indicates the depth of the drill is secured to the shaft 3. Suitable transfer gears 6 connect the remainin counter wheels of the drill depth counter A gear 7 is mounted on a sleeve 8 pinned to the shaft 3 by means of a pin 9 so that the gear 7 revolves with the drum 2. Meshmg with the gear 7 is a gear 10 secured to a collar 11 which is secured to a shaft 12 by means of a pin 13. The shaft 12 is provided with a longitudinal channel 14 which receives a pin 15 carried by a sliding collar 16 which 1 which projects through a spiral or helical channel 18 in a drum 19. The drum 19 is revolubly mounted on the shaft 12 by means of hubs 20.

Secured to the right hand end of the drum 19 is a gear 21 which meshes with a gear 22 on a sleeve 23 which is secured to the shaft 24 by means of a pin 25. The units counter 26 of the counter B which indicates the total depth of the well is secured to the shaft 24 by any conventional means. Transfer gears 27 of a conventional type connect the units wheel 26 to the remaining counting wheels of the counter B. A spring aligning pawl 28 engages between the teeth of the gear 22 to prevent movement of the gear 22 when the arm 17 is sliding through the channel 18. As shown in the drawin the counters are 1n the position in which t ey would be before being rotated. As the drill descends the drum 2 is rotated in the direction shown by the arrows thereby actuating the counter A and the gear 7. The gear 7 rotates the gear 10 in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. 1 and likewise rotates the arm 17V when it is at the right hand end of the channel 18 and thereby rotates the drum 19 and the gear 21. It will be noted that the gears 10 and 21 in effect rotate as a unit. The gear 21 rotates the gear 22 and the units counter 26 of the counter B in the direction. shown by the arrow placed by the gearA 22 in Fig. 1. For every foot that the drill descends the counters 5 and 26 register one foot. Since the counter A registers the number-of feet that the. drill is beneath the surface and the counter B registers the number of feet that the well is deep and since the drillis at the bottom of the well while it is drillingV the two registers A and B should indicate the same notations.

Let us assume that the well and the drill are now any given number of feet beneath the surface and that it is desired to remove the drill. As the drill 1 is pulled upwardly the drum 2, counter A,-gear 7 and gear 10 are rotated in the reverse direction as shown by the arrows in Fig. 1 so that the arm 17 leaves the end of the channel 18 and travels along the said channel so that it does not rotate the drum 19 or the gears 21 and 22 and the counter B is not actuated either forbeing withdrawn the counter A continues to count backwardly thereby subtracting every f5 foot that the drill is brought upward from the count which the counter A had registered when the drill 'was going down. Thecounter A might, therefore, bel termed an addition and subtraction counter for it is actuated both forwardly and backwardly, forwardly when the drill is being lowered and backwa-rdly when the drill is being removed from the well, and the counter B might be considered as an addition counter for it counts in only one direction and that is when the arm 17 is-at the right hand end of the slot 18, in which position the drill is always at the bottom of the well and the counter A registers the same as the counter B.

It is obvious that -many changes might be made in the specific form of the invention shown by way of illustration in this applicaa tion; I, therefore, desire to claim the invention broadly regardless of changes which might be made in the form thereof and regardless of the use to which the invention may be applied, whether it be oil wells, auto-- mobile odometers, o'r other instruments.

other of said gears being operatively con-l nected with the drill dept counter and means whereby said gears are operated as a umt' when the said counters register the same notations.

2. In combination, a drum, having a helical slot therein, a shaft, means to rotate said shaft, an arm supported by said shaft and extending into sald slot, Va counter operatively connected with said shaft, al second counter operatively connected with said drum, said arm causing said drum to rotate with said shaft and thereby operate both of said countf ers when said arm 1s at one end of said slotand means causing said shaft and the first of said counters to rotate while said arm slides in said slot when the arm is at any point other than the end of said slot.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

JOHN F. OHMER, Jn. 

